This Bright Pink Coffin Pool Float Is Peak Summer 2018

We're six days into July, which means we've reached peak pool float season. But this summer's oversize inflatable Instagram prop isn't a flamingo or a butterfly or a swan or even an ironic abstraction of a swan. Nope, it's a coffin, and not just any coffin — a true-to-scale, millennial pink coffin, complete with a lid.

If you've spent any time at all on the Internet over the past few days, you'll have seen the morbid pool float in question. The humorists over on Twitter are heralding it as a "big summer mood" and an especially spicy take on influencer culture, while the more aesthetically minded on Instagram have dubbed it the "crème de la crème" of ugly design. Meanwhile, on Facebook, it's equally beloved by nihilistic meme pages and literal funeral homes alike.

So, who's responsible for the hottest accessory of summer 2018? The answer, per Buzzfeed, is two designers, Andrew Greenbaum and Ian Felton. On Instagram, Greenbaum explained that they started the project almost three years ago, and recently found someone to make a sample (hence the pics). Greenbaum went on to reveal that, unfortunately, they're about $15,000 away from making this float a reality, but a Kickstarter isn't out of the question if enough people are interested.

Until then, Buzzfeed has found a worthy substitute. It's Blackcraft Cult's coffin-shaped pool float, which retails for $70 on the brand's website and at Hot Topic. Being pitch black, lid-less, and merely suggestive of a coffin (rather than a three-dimensional inflatable coffin), it lacks the je ne sais quoi that made the pink coffin float so great. Still, if it's anywhere close to capturing the essence of this summer, we're all for it.